The spread of capitalism and the social and economic chaos that accompanied the decline of feudalism helped transform medieval Europe into unified nation-states, whose people typically shared common histories, cultures, and languages. As the populace... became more organized and less dependent upon feudal ties, the growing urban middle class sought civil and financial order and stability.
To assure the safety of their families and livelihoods, citizens paid taxes in exchange for the services of professional armies raised by the new monarchs. In return, the national governments fostered commerce and trade that benefited the growing middle class and mercantile community. Combined with the other changes Europe was experiencing during the latter Middle Ages, strong central governments also contributed to the age of exploration and discovery.[more]

This ten minute video is a lecture with images to tell the story of this time period. Lots of good information and an excellent overview that could result in a lot of projects and other lessons. Integrated and well done for younger students. Video ma...y need to be stopped at times due to the all the content.[more]

Europe experienced radical economic and social changes between the 11th and 14th centuries. The medieval world was based on feudalism, a highly regulated and hierarchical form of society in which everyone had their place and responsibilities. The man...orial system, in which lords owned the land worked by their vassals, or serfs, started to wane in the late Middle Ages with the development of nation-states. Medieval cities, dominated by the guilds that brought economic stability, became the centers of commerce. Many people moved from the country to the city where they found more opportunities to make a living. This demographic shift diluted the power of the feudal lords and forced them to make several compromises. For example, many people who remained in the country negotiated long-term leases for their own plots of land on which they could grow crops to sell or to feed their families. The video explains the birth of mercantilism.[more]

In which John Green teaches you about the European Renaissance. European learning changed the world in the 15th and 16th century, but was it a cultural revolution, or an evolution? We'd argue that any cultural shift that occurs over a couple of hundr...ed years isn't too overwhelming to the people who live through it. In retrospect though, the cultural bloom in Europe during this time was pretty impressive. In addition to investigating what caused the Renaissance and who benefitted from the changes that occurred, John will tell you just how the Ninja Turtles got mixed up in all this. (11:33)[more]

This five minute video is about the Renaissance and the impact of the Medici family. A great overview and this video could be used for art and/or history classes. Does a good job of explaining many of the most famous people and events of this time pe...riod. Some images may need to be previewed.[more]

This 2:27 minute long video is about the art and culture in Florence during the renaissance. It has some remarkable statistics. There are images of the masterpiece of sculpture, David, which may be offensive to some.

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